Keira Knightley: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Hélène Joncour - Silk (2007)

There's been a lot of talk recently, in light of The Hobbit movies, about precisely how long one can need to tell what is on paper a very simple story. I've already given my reasons why the first film was too long, and you'll find plenty of other writers on this site who have done the same for The Desolation of Smaug. Suffice to say, if you found either of The Hobbit films even slightly tedious, stay away from Silk as you value your sanity. Silk is an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco's novel, directed by François Girard (The Red Violin). It tells the story of Hervé Joncour (Michael Pitt), a French military officer married to Hélène (Knightley) who begins smuggling silk from Japan to continental Europe. During his visits to Japan, he begins an affair with an unnamed concubine, which threatens his marriage and causes him to question his calling in life. Silk is a terrible film, boasting pretty visuals but stretching its already thin story out beyond all boundaries of patience. Pitt is badly miscast in the lead, the dialogue is uninspiring, and the whole thing suffers from the pretentious intentions of its director. As for Knightley, she turns what should be an endearing character into an unlikeable moper, taking an increasingly limited role and making it even more so through her unconvincing delivery and lack of energy.